Consult your dealer. Raising the tire pressure a lb or 2 probably won't hurt much, but raising it as much as 5 lbs too much can result in many more problems than you'd be solving.

02-19-2005 09:09 AM

The best tire inflation (Escape HEV)

I agree with Tim. Keeping the tires at 36psi is the way to go. Just maintain and check the recommended presure in all tires regularly. Safely would be my most concern.

02-19-2005 11:14 AM

The best tire inflation (Escape HEV)

One of the things that drove Prius owners to increase tire pressure was the terrible tire wear on the original Bridgestone RE92 tires when inflated at the factory reccommended pressures. The tires would consistently wear on the shoulders, a classic symptom of underinflation. Bringing the pressure up about 5 PSI allowed the tire to wear more normally, with the side benefit of a slight increase in fuel economy. This led a number of us to theorize that Toyota may have suggested too low a tire pressure in an effort to provide a more comfortable ride.

OTOH on the Escape so far there have been no reports of unusual tire wear (granted most folks still have under 5000 miles), so it seems unlikely anyone is seeking to prolong tire life by increasing pressures. Also while the maximum pressure in the RE92s used on "classic" Prius was 50PSI the Continentals on the FEH are only 44PSI tires, so there's less headroom to play with.

I have almost 35K miles & 14 months on them and have no abnormal tire wear, I've had no loss of traction but it is a harder ride.

Upon my request, my Honda dealer even sets them up this way for me.

12-08-2009 01:33 AM

I have consistently run with

I have consistently run with tires inflated 5-10 psi (cold) over manual pressure - on my Honda Prelude I saw an immediate significant improvement in milage and reduced tyire ear. Ride firmer and steering a bit lighter but neither a problem. Noticed tire heating is reduced at the higher pressure.
The set of Michellins on the Honda lasted over 9 years (120,000 kms) with even tread wear all way 'round - I do the same in my Ford Escape - thjat's got thre 3L V6 on longer trips have got over 36 mpg (imperial gals)